The invention relates to a landing approach aid for aircraft.
In the case of bad visibility and at night time, it is known to illuminate the runways for aircraft or landing fields for helicopters and to arrange lamps on the landing strip, next to the landing strip and in front of and behind the landing strip. These navigation lights for the runways are very expensive since all lamps must be connected to one electric power source. This is of disadvantage, for example, if a landing strip or landing field is to be temporarily set-up very rapidly because of rescue and emergency cases or for military reasons. In such cases, it is not only of disadvantage that a large number of cables must be laid but, as well, a possibly very heavy electrical generator must be procured if the intended landing field does not happen to be located in the vicinity of an easily accessible power source.
A further disadvantage consists in the fact that, when the navigation lights are switched on, it is not only the pilot who happens to be landing who can recognize the runway or its location but also aircraft located within a wide surrounding circle perceive the location of the runway which can be of disadvantage in the case of military applications.
Analogously to the so-called airfield landing lights described, the so-called landing approach radio beacons must be mentioned which are used for so-called instrument approach, IFR = Instrument Flight Route.
Special comparable facilities are known for military applications. System designations are "Tacan Section Tacan", Takt, Landing radar and so forth. These methods and systems also require complex and costly special equipment.